Product Description:

The stakes attract and kill all common household ants, including Argentine, ghost, little black, acrobat, pavement, odorous house, crazy, cornfield and other sweet-eating ants. To use, simply place the TERRO® Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait Stakes in areas where ants have been observed. The stakes are specifically formulated to allow worker ants to consume the bait and survive long enough to carry the liquid back to the nest and deliver a dose to the rest of the colony. The key to effective control is to monitor the placements and ensure there is always a fresh supply of bait.

The patented TERRO® Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait Stakes feature reinforced stake ridges that provide increased strength when placed in the ground. A see-through window makes it easy to monitor the bait level so you know when it’s time to replace the stake. The tiered bait pack increases bait consumption and reduces waste. Along with these features, the liquid ant bait inside the stake offers ants both a food and water source.

Kill the Ants You See, And the Ants You Don’t

When you first place the ant stakes in the ground, you’re going to see ants come in large numbers. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal. The product is specifically formulated to allow worker ants to consume the product and survive long enough to carry the liquid back to the nest and deliver a dose to the rest of the colony. The key to effective control is to monitor the placements and ensure there is always a fresh supply of TERRO®. Depending on the size of the infestation, complete control may take up to two weeks.

Upping the Ant-e

We’d be willing to wager that when it comes to ants, you want them out of your house and out of your life as quickly as possible. Follow these tips.

Place the TERRO® Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait Stakes close to areas where ants are observed entering your home or near their ant trails.

Insert the ant stakes firmly into the ground by pushing with your hand – not your foot or a tool - until the bottom of the bait stake is flush with the ground.

After the stake is in place, activate it by breaking off the bait pack tab. The ants will enter the bait stake through the hole created by removing the tab.

Be sure to monitor the bait level regularly, taking care not to interfere with the ants or the stakes while doing so. Replace the stakes when the bait level is no longer visible through the bait window or every 3 months.

Keep a fresh supply of ant bait available for the foraging ants to ensure long-term ant control.

Be patient. Depending on the size of the ant infestation, complete elimination of the colony may take up to two weeks.

The Easiest Way to Apply Liquid Bait Around Your House

The Ant Bait Debate

We’ve been asked plenty of times if liquid ant bait is really more effective than gel bait when it comes to controlling ants. Simply put, the answer is yes. Our research team could expound for hours on the differences between the two, but we thought we’d spare you some time and settle the great ant bait debate with this easy-to-understand infographic.

Ants

There are more than 10,000 known species of ants living throughout the world. Like other insects, they have six legs; each with three joints. Ants have large heads with compound eyes, elbowed antennae and powerful jaws. Ants are social insects that live in structured nest communities throughout the world. The species of ant determines whether they live underground, in mounds built at ground level, in wood structures or in plants or trees.

How do I know when to replace the Outdoor Ant Bait Stakes?

The Ant Bait Stakes have a see-thru window that enables you to monitor how much bait is in the stake, so there’s no guesswork involved. When you look through the window you will see that small ‘stairs’ are built into the bait pack. This was designed to increase bait consumption. As the bait is consumed, the liquid level diminishes. The ants march down the steps until they reach the bottom of the pack.

I just placed several TERRO® Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait Stakes around the perimeter of my house and instead of killing the ants, it attracted hundreds more! Am I doing something wrong?

You have nothing to worry about, this initial increase in ants is perfectly normal. As worker ants forage for food and water, they are quickly attracted to the sweet liquid in the TERRO® liquid ant bait and swarm towards it. The ants consume the bait and then head back to their nest to share the liquid with the rest of the colony. On the way back to the nest to share the bait, the ants drop what it called a ‘trail pheromone’, which lets the other ants know where the food supply is. In turn, these ants follow the trail to the bait which explains why you will initially see more ants. The active ingredient in the bait interferes with the ants' digestive systems, eventually killing them within 24-48 hours after consumption. This slow kill is necessary because it gives the worker ants enough time to get back and forth to the colony to share the bait

This slow kill is necessary because it gives the worker ants enough time to get back and forth to the colony to share the bait.

Is there an expiration date on the TERRO® Outdoor Ant Bait Stakes?

There is not an expiration date because the effectiveness of the active ingredient (Borax) does not decrease over time. However, like any food-based product, the bait may become less appealing to foraging ants after an extended shelf life. Our rule of thumb is to use fresh bait if you’ve had the same liquid bait for more than two years.